How to remove Microsoft Edge on a Windows computer

Microsoft Edge is included with Windows 10 by default, replacing Internet Explorer as the default browser for Windows. Getting used to Microsoft Edge takes time, as the feature set and the user interface is different from Internet Explorer. Some users have grown to like Edge and use it regularly, but other users have chosen other browsers as their default browser.

If you’re using a different default browser and want to remove Microsoft Edge from your computer, follow the steps below.

Note: It is not possible to entirely remove Microsoft Edge from your computer, due to how it is integrated into Windows and how other programs in Windows require Microsoft Edge to run correctly. The steps below will allow you to prevent Microsoft Edge from loading, while not hurting other programs that rely on Edge files to run properly.

Change ownership of Microsoft Edge folder

Before you can hide, or block, Microsoft Edge on your computer, you need to change the ownership of the Microsoft Edge folder in Windows. By default, the Microsoft Edge folder is owned and controlled by Windows and will prevent any changes. Gaining ownership of the folder will allow you to make changes to files in that folder.

Note: You must be logged in to Windows with an administrator account.

Open File Explorer.

Navigate to the following folder: C:WindowsSystemApps

Locate the Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe folder. Right-click on that folder and select Properties.

Click on the Security tab.

On the Security tab, click on the Advanced button.

At the top of the Advanced Security Settings window, click the Change link for the Owner.

In the Select User and Group text box, type Administrators and click the Check Names button. Windows will find and suggest the administrator account. Click OK to select the administrator account.

Back in the Advanced Security Settings window, check the box next to Replace owner on subcontainers and objects. Click OK to confirm the owner changes.

Back in the folder Properties window, on the Security tab, click the Edit button.

In the Group or user names section, click on the Administrators account.

In the Permissions for Administrators section, under the Allow column, check the box for Full control. Click OK to save the permission changes.

Click Yes in the Windows Security message box to confirm the permission changes. Click OK again in the Properties window to make the permission changes.

Prevent Windows from changing permissions or files

It may still be possible for Windows to change the permissions of the Microsoft Edge folder and files when a Windows update is installed. To prevent the permissions from being changed, undoing the changes you made above, follow the steps below.

Right-click on the Microsoft Edge folder again and select Properties.

On the General tab, in the Attributes section, check the box next to Read-only so that it is checked. You may need to click the Read-only box twice for the box to be checked.

Click OK to apply the change.

Prevent Microsoft Edge from running

With ownership and permissions changed for the Microsoft Edge folder and files, you can now prevent the Edge browser from running in Windows. Follow the steps below to block the Edge browser.

Open the Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe folder.

Locate the MicrosoftEdge.exe and MicrosoftEdgeCP.exe files. Rename both files to something else of your choosing. For example, rename the files to blockMSEdge.exe and blockMSEdgeCP.exe.

By renaming the files, Windows will no longer be able to find the MicrosoftEdge.exe and MicrosoftEdgeCP.exe files, preventing Microsoft Edge from running.

In the future, if you want to use Microsoft Edge again, rename the two files back to MicrosoftEdge.exe and MicrosoftEdgeCP.exe.